Centennial Student Scholarship

About the award

Established in 2024, the Centennial Student Fund supports student attendance and participation at the LSA Annual Meeting.
The funds can be used to provide travel grants for students, including both undergraduate students with a demonstrated strong interest in linguistics and graduate students in linguistics or a related field who have not yet defended their dissertations.

The funds might also be used to support other student needs related to the Annual Meeting, for example, by providing childcare so a student who is a parent can attend the meeting. Each travel grant typically provides $500. However, applicants with greater travel distances may receive up to $1,000, at the discretion of the Centennial Student Fund Committee.

The nomination period closes at 11:59 pm PT on August 15, 2025.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants will meet all of the following criteria:
  1. Current members of the LSA. Non-member applicants can join LSA to become eligible.  
  2. A student in good standing:
    1. Undergraduate students with a demonstrated strong interest in linguistics
    2. Or graduate students in linguistics or a related field. Ph.D. students must not have yet defended their dissertations at the due date of this application.
  3. Require support for needs related to attending the Annual Meeting including registration, travel, room and board, and other needs such as childcare support
  4. Not have received any financial support from other LSA travel grants and awards in the same year

Selection criteria

It is the responsibility of the applicants to address how they meet the selection criteria.

  1. Emerging scholars: assessing the applicant’s academic potential, engagement in linguistics and contributions to the field
  2. Benefits of attending the LSA Annual Meeting (AM): assessing how attending the LSA Annual Meeting will contribute to the applicant’s academic progress and their careers as a linguist
  3. Hidden costs of attending the LSA Annual Meeting: assessing the applicant's need for additional financial support beyond standard travel expenses, e.g., longer-distance travel, dependent care.

Selection

The LSA Centennial Student Fund Committee reviews applications and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee, which must formally approve the recommendations. The recipient will be recognized at the Awards Ceremony at the next LSA Annual Meeting in January.